


Death Shall Have No Dominion

by CynthiaK2014



Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 11:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4017343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynthiaK2014/pseuds/CynthiaK2014
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Involves my fix of the ending of TPM.  I saw the movie for the first time today after reading everyone's wonderful fiction.  I knew I'd be hooked and I really don't need another fandom but I'll be damned if I let Qui-Gon die.  Nope.  No way.  Never going to happen.  </p><p>Originally written June 1999 and posted under my pseudonym Athea Homes</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Part one Amidala POV  
****************************

I bowed my head yet again at one of my remaining lords, half of my attention on his report of the damage to our winter grain storage, the other half on where I was headed. At least we were moving in the right direction now. I needed to be at the space port when Anakin landed. Odd how connected I felt to the little one who'd just blown up the Droid Command Ship. The news had been relayed to me via the comm link we'd confiscated from the Viceroy and I was rejoicing on the inside.

 

Captain Panaka paced on Councilor Bahrens' other side, his eyes sweeping the halls for any enemies that might be hiding. The dear Captain didn't realize it but he was overdue for a promotion and I meant to see that he got it. 'General Panaka' sounded just right. There had to be some perks to being Queen besides the right to get shot at, taken hostage and used as a pawn.

 

Simmer down, your highness. No sense in scaring poor Bahrens to death. I took a calming breath and smiled at the old man who'd been my mentor after my mother died. "I am so glad you survived, Councilor. You are just the person to help solve the problem of feeding our people this winter. I'm sure the Republic will be more than willing to help us, now that the Trade Federation has shown their true colors."

 

We entered the hangar bay to the cheers of the returned pilots and the crews who'd survived the battle. Waving at them all with that little wave that Mother taught me when I was two, I searched for Anakin's blond head. When I saw him approaching on the shoulder of burly Cressa, I let go of the sigh that had been building since I'd seen him take off.

He waved excitedly at me and grinning Cressa set him down to run across the hangar to us. Captain Panaka hid a smile at the look of horror on the good Councilor's face when Anakin threw himself at me and hugged me tightly. No one was supposed to touch the royal person except for my handmaidens but that was one of those traditions that I meant to change.

 

Might as well start now. So, I hugged him back while murmuring in his ear. "Well done, Anakin. I'm so proud of you. You helped save us all. And you even brought R2-D2 safely through the battle too."

 

That bright little face sparkled up at me with an impish look of delight. "He got the autopilot off in time for me to keep from getting fried, Padme." His eyes widened and an almost frightened look crossed his face. "I'm s-s-sorry, Your Highness."

 

I leaned close to his ear and whispered. "My friends call me 'Dala, little Ani. When we're alone or with Captain Panaka, you may call me by my name. All right?"

 

He nodded slowly then grinned again when I tousled his hair. "Where is Master Qui-Gon? I want to tell him what we did."

 

Straightening, I cast a questioning look at Captain Panaka. "He's right. Where are the Jedi warriors?"

 

"I'll check, Your Highness." Bowing his head, he immediately turned away to use the comm link.

 

I joined in the celebration with Anakin's hand in mine while the pilots took turns describing the space battles that had gone on while we were fighting for our lives against the guard droids. The awe in their eyes when I spoke with them slowly muted to enjoyment, especially when I asked one of them a question or encouraged a further explanation of an event.

 

Anakin was drinking it all in with wide-eyed pleasure at their obvious liking of the youngest pilot. I couldn't help but contrast this successful flight to the pod race he'd won so doggedly back on his desert home. He deserved so much better than his life up to this point.

 

"Your Highness." Captain Panaka had on his poker face but I sensed a kind of horror in his voice that brought me up short, excusing myself with a gracious nod to the crew with whom I'd been speaking.

 

We took a step away from the crowd and he bent closer so no one else would hear. "The guards near the generator say the young Jedi just appeared with the dead body of his master. Obi-Wan appears to be in shock, Your Highness."

 

No! I kept the cry inside while schooling my face to neutrality. Not Qui-Gon Jinn. Anakin clutched my hand and I realized with a shock that he'd overheard.

 

"I need to see him." His eyes widened and slowly filled with tears that only a lifetime of slavery kept from falling. No child should have to be so rigidly controlled. But he wasn't the only one who'd had a lot of practice at showing no emotion.

 

"Captain, have the guards direct Obi-Wan to the Royal Chapel with the . . . body of his master. We will join him at once." I turned back to the celebrating crowd and raised my voice. "I am so proud of all of you. Please continue with the celebration. You deserve it." And waving at them with a smile, I regally walked towards the nearest exit with Captain Panaka clearing a path for Anakin and me.

 

Once out of the hangar, we picked up our pace and took a short cut through the back halls towards the Royal Gardens where the ancient chapel of my family drowsed in the late afternoon sunlight. The way I was feeling, it should have been late night with brooding clouds and rain coming down in sheets. My brain just kept repeating over and over it can't be true. Not true . . . not true . . . not true.

The guards at the entrance bowed to me and I took a deep breath, gripping young Anakin's hand tighter before nodding to Captain Panaka to push open the heavy door. The scent of carada oil wafted out to us from the eternal flame that burned on the altar to my ancestors. It was dimmer here in the small anteroom to the chapel and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the reduced light.

 

For a moment I could not see them but the pull of Anakin's hand soon showed me where they were. Master Qui-Gon lay in repose on the wide stone just below the altar, his long hair cascading over the cold marble onto the next step. His apprentice knelt by his side with his head up, staring into the dancing flame upon the altar. His face was streaked with tears and he didn't seem to know we were there.

 

The young boy hesitantly approached them, kneeling by Obi-Wan's side and looking up at the grieving man. My own eyes blurred and I turned away, motioning Captain Panaka to close the door behind us. The price of our freedom seemed unbearably high at this moment and I steeled myself to go to the man who'd driven the evil Sith Lord from our Planet. I knew enough of the Jedi to know that Obi-Wan must have killed the man who'd murdered his master or he too would be dead.

 

Leaving the Captain to guard the door, I crossed the swirling patterns set into the crystal inlaid floor and sank down onto the other side of the young Jedi. He had yet to acknowledge either of us and Anakin tugged just a little on the frayed sleeve of the charred cloak.

 

"He made me promise to teach you, Anakin. The Council will not deny him . . . this time." His voice seemed to come from the air around us but his lips didn't move. Those beautiful blue-green eyes remained locked on the yellow and orange flame on the altar. "The Sith Lord is dead. But there is at least one more. The Jedi will need all the warriors we can get in the years to come."

 

It sounded eerily like a prophecy. I could feel shivers begin deep inside of my stomach and I had to take a deep breath to quell them.

 

"S-s-sir." Anakin tugged a little harder on his sleeve. "Obi-Wan. It is not his time. He's still here."

 

The gaze finally moved away from the flame and down to the earnest, upturned face. A tear eased its way down the damp cheek and he tried to smile. "I'm sorry, Ani. He took a light saber straight through . . ."

 

He couldn't finish the sentence but I'd already made a note of the scorch marks on his over tunic and I understood what he meant. Hopefully, Anakin wouldn't have to know the horrible details. I wasn't sure I wanted to know anymore myself although I felt a savage satisfaction in knowing the Sith was dead. But that wouldn't bring back the gentle man who'd taken such good care of me on Tattoine.

 

The boy just nodded and grabbed Obi-Wan's hand in his two small ones. Gently, he laid it on the wound site and I heard the Jedi's breath catch in a small sob. "Dala, help Obi-Wan. There's still time."

 

I extended my fingers to cover the Jedi's and felt a jolt like a sudden shock of electricity. Young Anakin laid both his hands on Qui-Gon's chest over his heart and closed those big blue eyes of his in fierce concentration. A tingle of energy traveled up my arm and the bone chilling cold of the chapel seemed to warm a little.

 

Captain Panaka came up behind me and I could feel his strength glowing like a lamp in the dark. And suddenly, I knew what the youngster needed. "Captain, give of your strength to young Skywalker. Please."

 

"Your Highness." He gently placed his hands on Anakin's narrow shoulders and I felt the temperature rise higher yet. The tingle had become a hum in the still air and I felt pulses of energy surrounding us with a palpable rhythm of power.

 

When I focused my eyes, I could see a golden glow begin to shimmer over the still figure of the Jedi Knight. Brighter and brighter it grew until it was like looking into the sun and I was forced to close my eyes or go blind.

 

"Call him, Obi-Wan." Anakin's voice sounded deeper than I'd ever heard it. "Now."

 

"Master. Come back to us." His voice caught then steadied. "Qui-Gon Jinn. Return and finish what you started. It is not yet your time. Come back . . . to me."

 

It felt as if I was watching a dozen different scenes against the back of my eyelids. Connected to Obi-Wan through this field they called the Force, I could see his memories of their lives together, his training, their missions, the arguments and the laughter. But mostly, I felt the love that the young apprentice felt for his master.

 

All consuming, everlasting love. 

 

It made my heart ache with sudden memory of the lost love of my parents and I felt the tears I'd kept hidden for so long well up and roll down my cheeks. His anguish was unbearable and his pain echoed through both of us like a tidal wave of longing. Teacher, friend, companion. Qui-Gon had been all of those and more to Obi-Wan. I saw into his secret heart and felt the unrequited love he'd kept hidden from his master.

 

The light swelled even brighter, if that was possible and I heard a deep clear resonance ring through the still air. Like a great bell of crystal vibrating in the ether, it rang on and on and on. Just one note that shook the chapel in its intensity. My bones ached with the sound and I clenched my jaw to keep from crying out.

 

Then as suddenly as it had come, the light was gone and so was the sound. I felt blinded and deafened by their absence. And I was afraid to look at the man we'd just tried to bring back from the dead. What if it didn't work? And what was that anyway?

 

"Padawan." The whisper was shocking in the stillness and it made my eyes fly open in disbelief. The chest beneath our hands was rising and falling slowly and in the quiet came the welcome sound of a heart beat that had been absent for too long.

 

"Master." Prayerfully came the answer from the weeping man beside me.

 

I saw Anakin smile shakily at the two of them before his eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed backward into Captain Panaka's arms. I rose from numb knees and pressed hard on Obi-Wan's shoulder. There were things that had to be done. Decisions to be made.

 

"Obi-Wan. Do we keep this secret or no?" I asked him urgently with a little shake and he raised dazed eyes to mine.

 

//Secret.// I felt Qui-Gon's answer inside of my mind. //I must be dead for now. Yoda . . . only . . . needs to know.//

 

I gulped hard and tried to act as if he'd said it out loud. "There is a secret passage from here to an underground chamber where my ancestors used to retreat when the world became too much. The guards will be told to let no one but ourselves in or out."

 

Pressing a carved renette flower on the altar, I watched a flagstone slide to one side, revealing a flight of stairs descending below the chapel. "We'll bring you food and fresh clothing in a few hours. I'll tell the court that Obi-Wan is mounting a vigil over you and is not to be disturbed."

 

"Th-thank you." Obi-Wan looked a little more alert now and I squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. "Anakin?"

 

"We'll take care of him and see that he is safe. My word on it." I vowed.

 

//We could ask for no better guardian.// And those wise blue eyes opened and gazed up at us. //You see, Padawan, he is the Chosen One.//

 

"Yes, Master." The joy in Obi-Wan's smile lit the room with its radiance. "I'm sorry I ever doubted."

 

Someday, I would like to see someone look at me like that. I grinned before settling a solemn look on my face and turning to leave this sanctuary. But not just now. Catching my Captain's eye, I nodded to the entrance and he followed me, still carrying Anakin who was out cold.

 

For now, I needed all my wits about me. We had to figure out a way to present a dead body that looked like the Jedi warrior to the public. Hide the real warrior. Get to the Jedi Council on Coruscant. Could we trust all of them? Clean up after the invasion. Deal with the political situation. Find out who the new Chancellor was and see if he could be trusted.

 

The next few days would be very interesting. I shook my head and left the chapel with a sad look on my face. Being Queen had long been an exercise in acting. Now, my stage had grown to the size of a galaxy and I was rather looking forward to seeing how this drama came out.

 

***********************


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoda gets the news.

Part two  
********************************

"Master Yoda. We have just received a transmission from Naboo." Master Windu knelt by my side while I gazed out of the windows high above Coruscant.

 

"Felt it I did. Death comes to us all." A heavy sigh and I turned to my friend. "Sith Lord it was. Just as my old friend said."

 

"Obi-Wan killed the assassin. This is a blow to all Jedi's. Qui-Gon was my friend as well, Master Yoda. Should I go to fetch them both back?"

 

"No. My place it is. The boy there is to consider also. Obi-Wan's trials to see to. Headstrong he is." I could feel my ears droop ever so slightly and I let my voice fell to a whisper. "Like his Master."

 

Mace Windu patted my back gently and nodded. "I'll make the arrangements for a transport."

 

"The Senate you must watch, my friend. Currents strong with this upheaval. Odd it is that turmoil they raise right now."

 

Mace was already on his way to the door but he stopped and turned to gaze at me leaning on my cane. "At the same time as the resurgence of the Sith? None of the Senators have the brains or the balls to interfere with the Force."

 

"Balance is all. Be restored it must." I never turned my eyes from the play of lights across the city.

 

"I'll watch." Mace bowed and left me alone to contemplate the future.

 

******************

"Master Yoda, we are . . . honored by your presence."

 

I bowed to the young queen while thinking that honor was not quite the word she was thinking. "Come I must. Qui-Gon, my Padawan once was."

 

"I see." Her dark eyes looked at me appraisingly and I gave her my most innocent look. She beckoned a tall dark warrior to her side. "General Panaka, will you please show Master Yoda to the Royal Chapel. And have you seen Anakin today?"

 

"Your Highness, the boy is with the pilots, pursuing his lessons." The deep voice was pleasing to my ears. He looked like a good man in a fight and if our intelligence served me right, he'd been right at her side during the invasion and the battles that followed.

 

"I'll have Padme find him and then I'll bring him to the Chapel myself. Has Obi-Wan eaten today?" Not about food was she thinking.

 

They exchanged a long look and he answered slowly. "His appetite is . . . unchanged, Your Highness."

 

I got another appraising look and felt the currents twist and turn about the three of us. Something here had changed. Glad I was that I had insisted on coming alone. This trembling in the Force was unlike anything I had felt before in all my centuries. 

 

"I will inform Obi-Wan of your arrival, Master Yoda. Qui-Gon's body is resting in state in our Royal Chapel with his apprentice to watch over him." Her youth was overlaid by the maturity she'd had to assume too soon and I bowed to her before turning to follow her general.

 

Casting open my senses, I felt the broken bindings of power being slowly mended all around us. Queen Amidala, excellent steward of her people she was. Noting the presence of the Gungan on the palace grounds, I slowly nodded to myself. For all her people, it seemed.

 

We passed down a corridor and suddenly I felt a memory reach out for me. Not one of mine but rather of the events of two days before. The Force had been torn apart here and I stopped to experience it all. Motioning to General Panaka to halt for a moment, I settled over my cane and opened myself to the emotions that had erupted here.

 

The events unfolded themselves before my closed eyes. The Sith in all his red and black with the double light staff attacking the two of them. The pulsing energy fields that separated the Jedi and left Qui-Gon to his fate. Obi-Wan's fear and denial of his master's death. The furious fight between the two . . . ah-h-h . . . apprentices.

 

Not the Master Sith but his apprentice then it was. I sighed, unable to gain any clues from the currents of power surrounding the dark lord's death to the identity of his master. Clouded still which told me something of our opponent's ability. Strong with the Dark Side he was. A manipulator who hides in plain sight perhaps.

 

I stopped to consider that then shook my head and continued on down the corridor with the General at my side. More information needed there was. The gardens shimmered in the afternoon sun and I soaked up the heat, my ears reaching straight out to expose more of the surface to the warming rays. Coruscant never seemed to have enough sun.

 

Chuckling to myself, I decided I spent too much time inside. Needed to get out more, I did. Ahead, the Chapel glimmered among the flowers. For a moment it seemed surrounded by a golden haze. Blinking, I focused on the currents that flowed about the whole area.

 

Joy.

 

Peace.

 

Love.

 

No pain or anguish or suffering. Unexpected it was.

 

Two guards stood silently by the great door sheltered under the overhanging ledge of pure rose crystal. Old it was, centuries old. Older even then myself. Good it felt to find something still standing from before the Republic. But the golden glow did not come from the building. Could not contain it, the old stones could not.

 

General Panaka held the door open for me and I thumped my way inside the dim interior, following the currents of power to the carved stone altar and the body laid under the energized stasis field. His apprentice stood to one side, almost guarding the still figure.

 

"Master Yoda."

 

"Padawan." Testing his shields, bounced I did. Most unexpected this was. Turning my attention to the altar, I searched through the shimmering field and found what I had hoped to find. Reaching out with my mind, I tweaked the Force here . . . and here.

 

General Panaka made his way to my right as if also protecting the man on the funeral bier. Ah, as I had thought. The Queen and the General were both part of this tangle in the Force. "Better now. Needed a bit of Jedi memory it did. Surprised you thought of it not."

 

//We had to leave something for you to do, Master.// The familiar feel of my old student warmed the cold spot I'd harbored inside since I'd felt him die.

 

A slight grating sound signaled the movement in the floor. I watched Obi-Wan stand aside and Qui-Gon tread lightly into view. Hope, I did, that my shock was self- contained. The golden glow I'd seen earlier was emanating from the man before me. The energy moved through him instead of around as if he truly was one with the Force.

 

"How? Know I must why I felt your death but not your rebirth."

 

He exchanged a long look with his Padawan and knew, I did, that their growing bond was now complete. Still did not explain the crystalline shields I could feel around Obi-Wan. 

 

"It's a long story, Master Yoda. Would you mind taking it directly from my mind?" The young apprentice knelt before me and deliberately lowered those shields. Gazing into those glowing blue eyes, I watched the events unfold from the anger at the Sith's death to his despair before the altar and the joy of the healing of Qui-Gon by the boy.

 

The boy. The Chosen One. The ancient prophecy made flesh. Strong in the Force was he. Felt it, I did but bowed to the will of the Council I had. Still, had I not, young Anakin would have been in the Temple and not here on Naboo when he was needed.

 

//I agree, Master Yoda. There is more at stake here than the life of one old Jedi warrior.//

 

He was still open to me and I felt the chastising thought from young Obi-Wan, hiding my smile. //Not that old, Master.// The images of holding and tasting came in quick succession before being abruptly cut off. "Sorry, Master Yoda. There is something else we need to tell you."

 

Qui-Gon moved soundlessly, gently placing his hands on Obi-Wan's shoulders. //Perhaps, while you are here, Master Yoda, you could find the time to put my Padawan through his trials? He is ready.//

 

I snorted and pointed my cane at the pair of them. "Faced them already, he has. Jedi Knight he is in all ways. As you well know."

 

The slow smile that had so captivated his fellow Padawans when he was my student grew on his face. //General Panaka, if I could borrow the knife in your boot?//

 

"Certainly, Master Jinn." The sharpened dagger appeared as if by magic and flew through the air in a lazy arc, landing in Qui-Gon's outstretched hand.

 

//No longer apprentice but now a Knight, my Padawan. May the Force be with you.// And so saying, he cut the braid behind Obi-Wan's ear. The young man stood and faced his former master, dutifully repeating the Jedi Code.

 

I sighed, never did this grow old. How many Knights had I seen born into the Force? Hundreds. Still made this foolish Jedi feel a tear or two. A disturbance in the currents announced the arrival of the young one and the Queen. Watched I did as the streams of power ebbed and flowed about them. A golden aura intensified where they joined together. The Queen and her general stood and watched young Skywalker run to hug his friends.

 

"You're a Knight now, aren't you, Obi-Wan?" The voice piped up excitedly. "I can see it. What are you going to do with your braid?"

 

"Yes, I am, Ani. How about if I keep it and when you construct your first light saber, you can put it in the hilt?"

 

"Great! Then, even when you're not there, you'll still be with me. I'd like that." He was practically vibrating with energy and I sighed at the task ahead of these two.

 

Hearing my sigh, he braced himself and walked over bravely. "Master Yoda. May I be trained now? Stay with Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan?"

 

"Stay you may. Train you must." I felt nothing but relief from him. More importantly, the Force sang around us with crystalline clarity. Never have I felt the balance so surely. Whatever these five had done, they had become the fulcrum around which this universe pivoted. 

 

Interesting, it would be. Questions still I had. Answers I meant to get before leaving. 

 

Starting with their bond.

 

And the golden cords of Force that bound them all together.

 

Love is still the most powerful manifestation of the Force, I knew. And that emotion colored the very air around them.

 

The future, unclear is. But what they had begun here would control that future. That much I knew.

 

Still not too old to learn, was I.

 

The Universe as we knew it had just changed completely.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amidala learns more about the Force.

Part three  
***********************

I had a headache of galactic proportions and I forced myself to sit still, listening with the small part of my brain not on fire with the pain to the trade representative of the Jardani. I was in formal dress today, albeit a moderated version of what I'd worn earlier in my reign. The invasion had trashed some of the nonsense the ruling Queens had had to put up with in the past.

 

Idly, I wondered what my mother would have thought about the divided skirt I had on under my formal robe. Probably she'd exclaim how improper it was, all the time plotting how to have one made for herself. Sometimes I missed her with all my heart and then there were times I could barely remember what it felt like to be hugged by her strong arms. It seemed more like ten years then only one since her death.

 

Oh, thank goodness, he’s winding down. I smiled graciously at the tall, brisk figure with the shiny bald head. Which, of course, reminded me of Qui-Gon's luxurious locks and the way I'd last seen them. And was yet another reminder that I needed to check on Anakin, who was keeping him company while Obi-Wan finished up on Coruscant after his master's . . . funeral.

 

Suddenly, I couldn't stand one more platitude. I wasn't picking up any deception, just a love of his own voice. "Thank you, Ambassador Yuri. I shall take your words into consideration. I look forward to speaking with you again . . . at a later date. Councilor Bahrens will go over some of the finer details with you now."

 

A little abrupt perhaps but my old mentor handled it beautifully. They both bowed themselves out and left me to push the heavy wig off my head and into Padme's hands. "Oof! There has to be a way to lighten that headdress up. It keeps giving me a headache."

 

"I will investigate, Your Highness." With one hand she held the wig while her other offered me the cool cloth that would wipe off the heavy makeup that disguised the true me. It felt wonderful to scrub my face and remove all traces of Her Royal Highness.

 

Leaving the heavy outer robe on the throne, I stepped down and shook out my divided skirt. Rolling my head back and forth, I pulled out the comm link from my pocket. "General Panaka."

 

"Yes, Your Highness." His deep voice calmed some of the tension.

 

"I need an escort for my afternoon walk, General. Young Anakin has been alone with R2-D2 for long enough. I'm afraid I've been neglecting him."

 

"Nonsense, Your Highness. He's happy tinkering with the little droid and you've been busy with the Jardani delegation."

 

"Well, negotiations are over for the day and I need to get out and breathe some fresh air."

 

"On my way."

 

"Padme, will you please tidy up for me?" I rubbed my temples to try and relieve more of the steady pounding. "I'll be back in an hour or two. Maybe, the scent of the renette flowers will ease this headache. Mother always used to swear by them."

 

She dimpled and handed me a small square of linen. Wondering, I brought it to my nose and recognized the familiar scent that always reminded me of my mother. For a moment, I heard her soft voice telling me that everything would be all right. Since Qui-Gon's rebirth, I'd felt her closer to me than ever before.

 

"Thank you, Padme." I hugged her and watched a blush bloom on her cheek. "What would I do without you?"

 

She just shook her head shyly and continued folding my presentation robe for the journey to my private apartments. I headed for the guards at the other end of the room but the grand double doors opened before I could reach them. My general entered and bowed when he saw me.

 

"Let's go out the side door, General Panaka. Maybe I can avoid some of those parasites, I mean, the lords who are waiting in the anterooms." I couldn't quite catch my tongue in time and didn't need to look to see the tiny shake of the dark head.

 

"Your Highness has had enough of diplomacy today?" He walked at my side down the back stairs and through the door hidden behind the large tapestry. It looked ancient but boasted the latest in microtechnology in the lock that was keyed to just a few. 

 

Waiting until we were outside, I sighed and raised the linen to my nose. Inhaling deeply, I felt the tension slip a little further away. "I know there's a lot to do to bring us back to pre-invasion status, Pan. And I have seen the damage and heard the stories from the survivors. But most of those who are loudest in their protestations of need are the least hurt!"

 

His hand gently pressed against my shoulder. It was the only touch he would allow himself I'd discovered when I became queen. "I know, Dala. But it will take time for them to realize that the world no longer revolves around them or the old conventions."

 

I chuckled, his words defusing my unspoken desire to punch out a few of the more fawning courtiers. "What I really need are a few good projects that will take them away from the Capitol and put them to work helping to rebuild."

 

"It may be better to keep them here where we can watch them. Unless you want the rebuilding to mirror the past." He looked down sideways at me with a small smile creasing his eyes. Eyes that never lied to me.

 

I thought about what he had said, fitting it in to the complex puzzle that was my kingdom. What best to do for my people? The old days were gone forever but most of them seemed unaware of that. Not their fault really, I know how tempted I was to cling to my memories of the past when Mother died and they proclaimed me Queen. It would have been safer to give in to the Trade Federation.

 

But my family had always been fighters and I would be damned if I let the past obscure the future we could build out of the war. "All right, Pan. I see what you mean. Better they torment me than their people. At least, I have guards to keep the worst of them away."

 

"True, Dala. And loyal retainers who will keep them at bay while you take care of the rest of your people."

 

We shared a smile and finished our walk through the gardens to the small lake that bordered the palace grounds to the east. Another pair of guards came into view at the foot of the plank-bridge that arched gently out over the still waters to the island off shore.

 

Gungan guards, tall and gangly in their brand new royal uniforms. I smiled at them and wondered again what my mother would have thought. So many changes, so quickly. The General stopped to speak to them while I continued over the bridge towards the shimmering dome of opalescent energy that covered the whole island.

 

Another present from the Gungan. Once they understood that I needed a safe place where Obi-Wan could go to meditate and teach young Anakin the ways of the Jedi, they had created the energy shield that would block all intrusions from without. Of course, we'd moved Qui-Gon here before we'd left for Coruscant and his . . . funeral.

 

I still shuddered every time I recalled seeing his effigy burn. I'd been on pins and needles the whole time, wondering if someone would figure out that the body was not the Jedi warrior but one of the pilots who'd crashed and burned during the last battle. But Master Yoda had handled it all beautifully. 

 

And Obi-Wan had been rock solid in all his dealings with the other Jedi, deferring to his elders and allowing just a hint of the anguish he'd felt at his master's death to seep out from his calm facade. I know how much he'd hated to leave Qui-Gon still healing from his wound but he'd just nodded at the plan devised by Master Yoda and General Panaka.

 

We'd been back for almost two days now and I know how much I wanted to have the young Jedi return. Qui-Gon was slowly regaining his strength and teaching Anakin some of the basics he would need for his Jedi training. The Jedi Council had decreed that Obi-Wan and Anakin could train here on Naboo for the first few months of Ani's apprenticeship.

 

Trying to hide my smile at that thought, I wondered if that would be long enough for a proper honeymoon. I was pretty sure that they had done no more than kiss and touch before Obi-Wan had had to leave. I already had several schemes ready to occupy Anakin's attention so his masters could have some time alone with each other.

 

I passed through the tall grasses and into the grove of trees that ringed the island. What the shield didn't obscure, the tall growth did. It was cool beneath the dark green leaves that hung from the light gray branches of the kolla trees. Laughter sounded from up ahead and I picked up my pace.

 

I came through the trees into the moss covered glade where the small cottage stood, dappled with sunlight through the filtering branches of the deep purple foliage of the fuuring pines. Ani and Qui-Gon were playing with a small red ball that bounced back and forth between them. But their hands were laced in their laps and I could feel the ripples in the air each time the ball flew from one side to the other.

 

//Welcome, Dala. Come and join us.//

 

"Dala!" Anakin bounced to his feet and ran to hug me.

 

I loved his exuberant hugs for their whole-heartedness. He had no hidden agendas nor did he want anything from me but my affection. Something I enjoyed giving to the little towhead who was so adaptable to the catastrophic changes in his life. I buried a stray thought deep so he wouldn't catch it.

 

"Have you been practicing with the Force, Ani?" I teased him.

 

"Yeah! It’s fun to move things with my mind. But it’s hard to concentrate sometimes.” He smiled and frowned at the same time.

 

//Practice will help, Ani.// Qui-Gon patted the seat beside him and shifted over to make room for us.

 

I sat by his side while Anakin squeezed in between us. “Practice makes perfect was what my mother always told me. Especially, right before something really boring had to be done.”

 

“But this isn’t boring, Dala. It’s neat!” And he threw the ball up into the air and focused all his energy on the glowing red globe. It hovered there as if pasted to the air and I exchanged a smile with the Jedi who looked so much less fragile then when I’d last seen him the day before.

 

//The meals you’ve had sent out have been delicious. Although I wonder just how big an appetite they think one small boy must have.//

 

“I told them that he was a finicky eater and had to be tempted to eat at all.” I grinned at the memory of my sigh and drooping mouth, which had galvanized the cooks into competing for the right to be the one who succeeded in getting the little hero to eat.

 

His chuckle sounded loud in the still air and it surprised both of us so much that Ani lost his concentration and dropped the ball. “Master!”

 

“Slowly . . . it . . . comes . . . back.” The husky voice was not the gentle melodious one I remembered but good to hear just the same. //I will keep practicing, Ani but so must you.//

 

“Yes, Sir.” He grinned and went to pick up the ball from where it had rolled almost into the renette bushes.

 

//You have a headache, Dala.// His large hand brushed at my temple when I nodded. One long finger pressed gently then moved down to the base of my neck and ghosted across the skin until it found a sore spot. He pressed gently and pain flared up into my skull. 

 

Gritting my teeth hard, I endured until the ache eased and warmth took its place. "I need you to teach me that. It always works and I seem to be getting more headaches than ever before."

 

//The decisions you must make would give Master Yoda a headache.// Qui-Gon joked quietly. //This is a simple pressure point that even the young learn at the Temple.//

 

"Can you teach me to take away the pain?" Anakin leaned against his master's knee, the ball forgotten on the ground near R2-D2. "I want to learn everything."

 

//Everything . . . will take a little while.// Qui-Gon ruffled the fair hair of his new apprentice. //But for now, I think this is an excellent place to start your healing lessons. Center yourself . . ./ The air rippled around us and I felt a pull from the trees that had nothing to do with healing and everything to do with love. //Obi-Wan.//

 

I found myself on my feet, holding on to Anakin's shoulders when the newest Jedi Knight strode into view. His eyes were riveted on Qui-Gon, standing tall with the sun glinting off the golden aura that still surrounded his body. Four more steps and he was on one knee before his old master.

 

"Qui-Gon." The name was spoken with a fervor that spoke volumes.

 

"Obi-Wan." His name was sighed no louder than the breeze that ghosted through the clearing but we all heard it like a shout of joy.

 

I had to blink my eyes hard to keep the tears from overflowing. This joyful moment made me want to cry for some reason and I found myself hugging young Anakin with both arms. A little sniff reminded me that he was still missing the person he loved most in the world and I made another mental note to check with Panaka on our little project.

 

He stood gracefully in his full robes and turned slightly towards me. "Amidala, I left your general with the . . . package that you were bargaining for. Ric Olie sends his compliments and hopes that you will be pleased with his trade." The blue eyes were mischievous and I felt a surge of delight that something had so obviously gone right.

 

"Well, since the present is for Ani, I think he and I had better go and see Pan. I'll have Padme leave your dinner on this side of the bridge. Don't forget it or my cooks will be crushed. They've been tempting Anakin with all sorts of delicacies since you've been gone." I looked down into curious blue eyes. "Run ahead, Ani. I think you'll like this surprise."

 

He looked up at his two teachers. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

 

Obi-Wan smiled and knelt down to Ani's level. "Perhaps the day after would be better. I think your surprise will take up your time until then."

 

Ani giggled. "And you and Qui-Gon want to be alone. I can take a hint."

 

//Imp. We shall make you work very hard when you return.// The tall Jedi bent and returned the strangling hug that his apprentice gave both of them. //Go and see your surprise, Ani. We'll be fine.//

 

"Okay. Take care of each other." And he scampered off down the path with R2-D2 in pursuit.

 

"We'll keep him busy until you send word that you're ready to join the world again." I was having a hard time not blushing at the feelings that were leaking through the Force in all directions. "Just tell the guards if you need anything."

 

Starting off with a wave of my hand, I hurried and caught up with the small droid with the funny sense of humor. At the bend of the path, I was caught between two scenes of unsurpassed emotion. Ani was running as hard as he could to the slight figure who stood by Panaka with her arms outstretched in welcome.

 

I owed Captain Olie more than I could possibly repay for finding a way to free Shmi Skywalker. More than anything in the world, I wished I could once again feel my mother's arms around me. Drinking in the sight with tear filled eyes, I saw Ani held close in Shmi's embrace. His head was buried between her breasts and her cheek rested on the fair hair she'd probably never thought to feel again.

 

Pulling the scrap of linen from my pocket, I hastily blew my nose before I could lose all control and disgrace myself in public. Promising myself a good cry before I fell asleep tonight, I looked back over my shoulder in time to see Qui-Gon cup his former Padawan's cheek in one hand. The golden glow surrounded them both now and Obi-Wan turned just enough to brush his lips against his former master's palm.

 

All the emotions resounding through the Force were bewildering. The heartfelt joy was paramount on both sides but the escalating sensuality behind me flowed through the currents straight to me. I'd never felt anything like it before and it reminded me of a conversation I'd had with my mother on my twelfth birthday. The one about love and sex and what was expected of a queen.

 

'Did you love papa? Or did you have to marry him because of Naboo?' I'd asked her straight out because she'd never lied to me and I really needed to know.

 

'I was lucky, Dala. I had to marry him but once I met him, I loved him dearly. And he felt the same way. It's why I never remarried after he was killed in that foolish accident. No one else could compare. That's what I wish for you, little one. Love beyond measure.' She hugged me close and we talked for hours that night.

 

And what I was seeing and feeling from the two men behind me was the best illustration of just such a love as she'd described to me. Tenderness . . . passion . . . joy . . . all flowed about the glade in ever increasing circles. I caught my breath as Qui-Gon slowly bent to Obi-Wan's upturned face, almost hearing the sizzle as their lips met.

 

Shaking myself hard and turning resolutely away, I tapped R2-D2 on his shiny silver dome. "Come on, R2, it's time we gave them a little privacy."

 

"Beep, beep, br-r-upt." He suggested.

 

"I couldn't have said it better myself. Let's go plan a party to welcome Anakin's mother to Naboo." And I walked towards the couple that needed me, leaving the Jedi to their own party.

 

If that kiss was any indication, I was a little too young to know how they intended to celebrate. Eyeing General Panaka casually, I smiled to myself. But in fourteen months I would be sixteen and reach my majority. By then, I'd be ready to do a little exploring of my own. This could be a very interesting learning experience for all of us.

 

Beep, beep, indeed.

**************************


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan explore their love. Slowly and with judicious use of the Force. Obi-Wan POV

Part four  
************************

I could feel Anakin's joy from the outer edge of the island. Qui-Gon was smiling against my forehead, his arms around me, holding me close. "Amidala just may be a match for Master Yoda when it comes to manipulating the Force."

 

He chuckled into my hair. //And she's only fourteen. Think what she'll be able to accomplish as an adult. The galaxy and our lives will be very interesting in the next few years.//

 

//As if it's not now?// I couldn't help the incredulity in my thought.

 

His soft lips brushed against the skin at my temple, sending a tremor through my whole body. //Interesting is not the word I would have used about what we are doing. Fascinating . . .// He moved down my face with each word. //Delightful . . .// He ghosted over my tilted chin and down over the tender skin of my throat. //Captivating . . .// His warm tongue lapped at the hollow in the base of my throat and I began to vibrate in his arms. //Enticing . . .//

 

I could hear myself gasping for breath in the still air of the glade. "How about suffocating?"

 

His quiet laugh resonated through my skin. //Very well, Obi-Wan. Perhaps we should adjourn to the hot springs so you can relax after your long journey.//

 

I matched his laugh with my own. "And I can tell you how Yoda and I enacted our little play for the benefit of any unseen watchers."

 

He guided me into the cottage, taking my cloak from me with sure hands. //Were there watchers?//

 

Sighing, I undid my utility belt and let it drop on the table. "I think so. There were two listening devices in the Council chamber. I could sense them like a . . . a metallic pulsing in the Force." I rolled my arms to relieve the aches of traveling. Then continued, remembering my surprise in the Meditation Gardens when I'd talked to the diminutive master. "But Yoda couldn't."

 

Qui-Gon rubbed my shoulders tenderly. //Master Yoda is attuned to the natural aspects of the Force. He has never quite come to terms with the mechanical universe.// He pulled me back against his solid chest and wrapped his strong arms around me. //And your connection to the Force has grown since our joining in the Chapel.//

 

"Our mental joining only, Master." Pressing back against him with a little wriggle, I reminded him that we had not yet completed our physical bond.

 

//I am no longer your master, Obi-Wan. And I have not forgotten a thing.// He tickled my neck with his beard while kissing the stub of my former braid.

 

Turning in his arms, I looked up into the glowing face, so tension free after too many years. "You will always be my master, Qui-Gon. The master of my heart." I reached up and pulled his face down to my lips. I would never get enough of his taste. Not if I lived to be as old as Yoda. "The master of my soul." Tracing his lips with my tongue, I tasted the spices from his lunch. Dipping inside his heated mouth, I imbibed the rare essence that was so much a part of him that I'd be able to tell him from any other in the galaxy.

 

//The master of my body.// I completed the thought while entwining my tongue with his in a slippery duel that brought only pleasure to us both. Long moments were spent in lazy fulfillment of several of the fantasies I'd dreamed while returning to Naboo. None of them came close to the passionate reality of his hands on my back, his breath mingling with mine and the soft curtain of silken hair that flowed over my face and neck.

 

//Ah, but my fantasies go back several years, my Padawan.// He was tasting me again with his soft lips and agile tongue. Each rasping lick sent a shiver through me until it felt like my skin was in one continuous ripple. Pushing my tunic away from one shoulder with his bearded chin exposed a new erogenous zone for his taking.

 

"Y-y-years, Master?" I could feel my legs getting shaky and I clung to the sturdy material at his waist to keep myself upright.

 

//Why do you think I practiced my meditation so frequently, beloved? The other Masters were most impressed at my fervor. It was the only thing that kept me from exposing my feelings to you prematurely.// He had pulled away just a little so he could look at me.

 

"Exposing sounds good." I let go my grip and began to tug loose the simple sash that encircled him. "Fervor sounds even better."

 

I don't know if he used the Force or not but he had me completely undressed before I'd managed to get his tunic off. His smile lit the room at my exasperated thought. //Practice makes perfect, uh?//

 

//I've been practicing that in my sleep, beloved. Every time I dreamed of you, it always began the same. Somehow, our clothing always melted away like magic.// His callused fingers skimmed over my skin, raising goose bumps in their wake. But when he followed them with his tongue, I just held on and shivered at the sliding wet trail down to my right nipple.

 

Pulses of energy traveled straight from the hardened peak to my groin and I felt myself grow and lengthen. //Master. Please.//

 

Our bond quivered with amusement and he helped me remove the rest of his clothing, exposing both of us to the cooling draft from the open door. //We have time, beloved. For everything.// His gaze alone could ignite a torch and I felt like dry kindling. //But for now, perhaps . . . a bath?//

 

A bath.

 

Naked, wet Qui-Gon.

 

"What a good idea, Master. Lead the way." I really hoped I wasn't leering but the very thought of following that lean muscular figure with the, oh . . . so . . . enticing ass, was playing havoc with my concentration.

 

He knew exactly what I was thinking and he leaned in, kissing me with a barely restrained passion that disoriented me completely. I came back to myself to find him disappearing through the door at the back of the long main room. And I was right, the long lean muscles that flowed down his back to his feet were definitely worth following.

 

Well, that and the mischievous look over his shoulder combined with the ghostly feel of a Force induced caress to my hardening cock. I followed him with a growing need to touch him . . . everywhere. When I entered the bath chamber, my eyes widened at the rough stone walls and sunken pit of steaming water. But mostly I stared up into the gaping hole in the roof.

 

//Taking a hot bath in the rain takes on new meaning, Obi-Wan.// Qui-Gon smiled at me from the center of the pool, holding out a hand to welcome me in. //There is a modern unit behind that door with a fresher and shower but it seems the height of luxury to sit for long moments in the waters of these hot springs.//

 

"Wow, it's really hot." I sat on the side and dipped my legs in, finding a ledge about a foot below the surface. 

 

//Body temperature only, beloved. Not too hot, surely?// He tugged on my hands and I quickly joined him in the middle of the pool. His lips covered mine again and I wondered why the water did not boil when he touched it.

 

//Qui-Gon!// My thoughts were hazy and my body was on fire with the wanting. All I really wanted was for him to take me right now. Nothing else mattered. Just our joining.

 

//Sh-sh-sh, beloved. We will join soon. But first you need to shed the memories of your trip.// He sprinkled kisses over my face, down my throat and over my shoulders. Each one was a starburst of sensation that sent tingles all over my body. 

 

It was too much trouble to stay upright and when my legs went boneless and I submerged into the hot depths of the pool, he followed me down. His lips on mine gave me all the air I needed to breathe, his soul entwined with mine was all I needed to exist. Floating to the surface of the clear water, enfolded by Qui-Gon's arms and wrapped in his love, I felt the last remaining grief drain away.

 

//Beloved.// Qui-Gon read my memory of watching his shape burn in the cremation chamber and gently admonished me. //Let it go. Let the reality of now erase the memory of then.// A picture grew in my mind of ocean waves curling up onto a golden shore and retreating, leaving the sand smooth and untroubled by any stray footprints.

 

I opened my eyes and feasted on the reality of the face above me. Eyes the color of the sea at dawn, lips the rosy red of one of the flying fish of the planet of Anemone, hair fanned out over his broad shoulders like a waterfall of darkened silk. //Beautiful.//

 

His smile was lazy, his eyes crinkling in amusement. //Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you. I think I have never seen anyone more vibrant and sensuous in all my years.//

 

//I have. Did you know that Naboo has legends of a merman god? You look just as I would imagine such a water deity. Powerful and commanding.// My hand gained weight when I raised it from the water which floated the rest of me in weightless splendor. But when I touched his cheek, I felt the old familiar feeling of wonder encompass me.

 

Shaking his head, he turned just enough to breathe across my palm in a silent kiss. //I am just a man, Obi-Wan. One who loves you more than life itself.//

 

//Just a man.// I echoed his words but couldn't find any of my own to show him what he meant to me. Inarticulate longing throbbed through our bond while I flung a hundred memory-images from our lives together at him to try and show him what I meant.

 

The sea-dark eyes widened and I felt a shift in the Force while his hands gripped my hips a little tighter. Suddenly, the water felt hotter against my skin and my hand fell heavily to lay cushioned on the liquid Force that surrounded me within and without. Bending over me, I felt his lips brush across my chest, leaving trails of cooler dampness behind. His tongue licked across my flesh like a gourmand tasting a new flavor.

 

But then he was nibbling on one of my nipples and I could feel the Force gathering tight and low within my groin. His teeth pulled gently at the hardening peak and I groaned as quietly as I could. I felt his desire to explore me vibrating through our link and I relaxed and let him have his way. I needed to learn him as a lover but for now, I was content to learn this new lesson without . . . helping.

 

//That would be a change, my Obi-Wan.// His thought was tinged with humor but also a quiet sense of satisfaction at my acquiescence. I could feel his determination to map every inch of damp skin pour through me. I melted beneath his loving assault until I could feel no difference between my physical body and the water that cradled me. 

 

Except where he touched me.

 

Each caress a reminder, that even water could burn if heated high enough. And my blood was simmering at a slow boil when his mouth finally closed about my shaft. Quivering, I kept my concentration on maintaining my equilibrium. I could not thrust further into his heat without destroying the balance that kept me floating on the blood-hot water.

 

//Another lesson, master?// I managed to mind whisper.

 

//Everything is a lesson, padawan. But this . . .// He slowly engulfed me to the root and ever so gently slid back up. //. . . is a pleasure as well.//

 

Sensations flooded my pores, deluging me with impressions of taste and feel. I realized through a fog of desire that I was tasting myself on Qui-Gon's tongue through our link. Salty and slightly bitter, I was leaking fluid that he lapped up with delight. The rasp of his rough tongue across the suddenly too-thin skin of my cock was an exquisite torture.

 

The tingles were back but harder than before, flooding through my body towards my groin. Qui-Gon seemed to sense that my control was slipping and the suction increased until with a mind shout that Master Yoda probably heard on Coruscant, I burst forth in a spray of blood-hot seed. My involuntary thrust up would have sunk me but I was still connected to Qui-Gon and the Force and they kept me afloat.

 

He was still lazily mouthing over my abdomen when I stirred and reached for him. //I am here, beloved. I think we should leave the pool before you become water-logged.// He was smiling broadly when he let my hips sink while pulling my shoulders up and out of the pool. Water flowed down over my skin and I caught a glimpse of . . .awe?

 

//You are the merman, Obi-Wan. Beautiful and bewitching. Come to seduce this old Jedi into your lair where you can work your wicked way with me.//

 

I closed on him, sliding my arms around his trim waist and kissing the small burn mark that was the only sign left of the light saber wound. //When I've rested, beloved, I will make you dissolve into the Force the way you just did for me. I promise.//

 

He drew me from the water with a deep laugh that almost sounded like his old self. We dried off with slow caresses and Qui-Gon led me through yet another door into a small bedroom whose only piece of furniture was a wide bed with cool green sheets. I was suddenly weary beyond belief and I let my lover tuck us both under the covers. Settling into my new favorite position, my head on his chest so I could hear his heartbeat, I fell asleep between one breath and the next.

 

*******

 

We slept the night through awakening at dawn. I retrieved our neglected dinner from the foot of the bridge and we feasted on the delicacies the cooks seemed to think would tempt my appetite. After all the energy we'd both expended, it could have been roots and berries and we'd have devoured it.

 

In between bites, I filled him in on the events of the last week. He questioned me closely about my impressions of those I had come into contact with both before and after the funeral. I'd finally let go of the horrible vision of his surrogate body burning in the red gold flames and could detail what had gone on around me. Even though I hadn't been concentrating, my subconscious self had listened for me and now I was able to retrieve the conversations of the others at the funeral.

 

He nodded at some of the comments from other Jedi but he seemed more interested in the others. Ex-chancellor Valorum, his administrative assistant Sei Taria and Senator Palpatine and their measured conversation about the turmoil in the Senate brought a tremor of disquiet to our bond. I looked at him quizzically.

 

//There is still a Sith Lord for us to consider, Obi-Wan. He may be hiding in plain sight.//

 

"Valorum or Palpatine?" I couldn't quite keep the disbelief from my voice. "When would they have the time to train or maintain their abilities?"

 

Just then, a major disturbance in the Force brought us both to our feet. Qui-Gon's golden aura intensified until he was blazing like the sun. I could feel him reach out into the pulsating energy that surrounded Naboo and follow the shaking back to its source.

 

//He's come.//

 

*************************


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amidala POV - Palpatine visits Naboo.

Part five  
**********************

His ship had sent word ahead so we could be there to greet him. I didn't hear what he said to Anakin but I could feel the //yuck// from the young man when he patted his shoulder. Senator Palpatine's news was unexpected and at first all I could think was how wonderful that our representative had ascended to that prestigious position. Now, we really had a helpful hand for our cause.

 

But while the speeches were going on, I suddenly realized that he'd intended this all along. He'd worked behind the scenes just for this moment when he could gather the reins of power into his own hands while deprecating the whole thing. And he'd used me to do it. Me. I   
could feel white-hot anger tighten by neck muscles already stressed by the still too heavy headdress.

//Dala. Easy.// Qui-Gon's voice soothed away part of the tension and shielded my mind with his warmth. //Obi-Wan is on his way. Think only of what Naboo needs. Fill your mind with how many tons of grain are needed, what the architects will need to rebuild the towns destroyed. All the details your advisors keep heaping upon you.//

 

//Do not let me betray you, Qui-Gon.// I thought frantically while dredging up the driest, most mundane minutia of the kingdom to cover my fear.

 

//Do not worry, Dala. I think you will find your shields are invisible to any but the five of us.// For some reason, the Jedi master was amused at his statement. //The only thing he will see of me are your memories from before my . . . death.//

 

Gulping, I acknowledged his thoughts and rolled my eyes at General Panaka. I wanted a strong buffer to the overpowering Senator. Just having the warrior nearby made me feel safer. I found myself studying the man I now suspected of being more concerned with gathering power than helping heal the wounds of the Republic.

 

Mother had always found him handsome but I remember that Father had snorted out loud when she'd appointed him to represent us in the Senate. Then, I hadn't understood his statement that Palpatine would always land on his feet but now, I thought I knew exactly what he meant. Remembering something she told me just before she died, I smiled sweetly at him.

 

//Handsome is, as handsome does.//

 

Just a little something to think about while I was trying to fill my mind with what Naboo needed from him. Grain, equipment for mining, new ships to replace those lost in battle. If he thought me a mercenary little bitch, that was all to the good.

 

//Dala!// Obi-Wan's shocked mind whisper came to me, the same moment he came into view.

 

I had the strongest urge to stick out my tongue at him. He really could be such a . . . a . . . prig. I heard Qui-Gon's chuckle in the back of my mind and felt the warm presence of General Panaka at my shoulder. Really, I hadn't felt so protected in a long time. Which was a good thing since the new Chancellor was turning to me with an appraising look.

 

"Your Highness, I'm sure we have much to discuss, now that you've had time to gather together all the data from the invasion. Perhaps, we could go in and converse about what's needed to help you rebuild."

 

I nodded and turned to lead the way. Interesting how he'd said ‘you’, not we. He'd already begun to distance himself from us. Just then he reacted to Obi-Wan's presence with a serious smile. "Jedi Kenobi. I don't know if I had a chance to tell you how very sorry I was at the loss of your mentor."

 

Obi-Wan bowed his head and looked bleakly at the Senator. "He will be greatly missed, Chancellor Palpatine."

 

"But you passed your trials and now have a Padawan of your own, I am told." His tone lightened and he looked benignly at the young Jedi.

 

"Yes. Young Anakin will be trained as a Jedi as my master wished. The Council has granted us some time to create our bond here on Naboo. He is very young and there have been so many changes in his life." Obi-Wan smiled shyly and looked over at the young boy who had run across the courtyard to hug his mother. "But now that Queen Amidala has freed his mother to be with him, I think he'll be able to settle down and begin his lessons."

 

"What a wonderful thing to do, Your Highness." The smile was for me this time and I managed a modest shrug. "With all that is on your mind, to think of freeing one slave from a planet so far away is most commendable."

 

"Well, we had all those battle droids just laying around cluttering up the landscape." I smiled up at him. We walked on while I concentrated on all the lists that my advisors had been inundating me with over the last week. But deep inside, I wondered how he knew about Tatooine. I didn't like the way his eyes kept returning to the boy and his mother. So, it wasn't long before I highhandedly dismissed Obi-Wan and his apprentice to their lessons while I welcomed the new Chancellor to the inner chamber behind the throne room.

 

The next two hours were spent in laying out our needs to the new head of the Senate and consulting him on who should replace him as our representative to Coruscant. I favored Governor Bibble with a mere trace of vindictive fervor. He'd given Panaka a very hard time even before we came under attack and persisted in his belief that I was too young to understand how to govern. I'd like to see how he fared as a very little fish in the big pond of the Senate after being the biggest predator in Naboo.

 

//Pride, Dala.// Qui-Gon chided me gently and I mentally sighed at the reminder that sometimes I didn't know how to proceed so I should be open to learning from what ever source came my way.

 

//I know. Pride comes before a pratfall. But I need Bahrens here to deal with all the details. He'd be really lost on Coruscant. I don't think he's been off Naboo in his entire life.// I sent back a frustrated thought.

 

//Agreed, but perhaps your general has some ideas? Are you close enough to touch him?// The measured thought brought my head slowly around to find Pan a few feet away. Sabe stood next to me and I beckoned her closer, remembering at the last moment to call her Padme. Qui-Gon had suggested that 'Padme' needed to exist beyond when I needed to go out without all the ceremony. Sabe had volunteered to change her name.

 

"Padme, I fear I need some of that headache remedy you found for me earlier." I pitched my voice just loud enough to reach the general who immediately moved closer.

 

"Perhaps it is time to take a break, Your Highness. The noon meal is almost ready and we have yet to speak of the ceremony this afternoon." He leaned forward a bit and kept his voice low.

 

"What a good idea, General." I turned towards Chancellor Palpatine with my most regal smile. "We are having a celebration ceremony this afternoon to honor the Gungans who fought so valiantly in the battle that finally destroyed the droid army. We would be honored to have you present, Chancellor."

 

"The honor is all mine, Your Highness. If I might be excused to freshen up before the noon meal?" He rose, bowing to me and I graciously nodded my permission for him to go to his palace apartments.

 

Suddenly, I felt the headache I'd used for an excuse blossom into hideous life. It was all I could do to stay upright while I battled the pain and tried not to let it show. Luckily, he seemed not to notice and soon it was just my handmaidens and General Panaka.

 

//Dala?// Qui-Gon's voice was a sharp pain in my mind and I cringed.

 

"Your Highness, is there something wrong?" Panaka came close and I reached out blindly for him, swaying under the pulsating pressure. Gripping his padded vest, I felt my senses go hypersensitive. The smell of leather filled my nostrils. When my head fell against his chest, his heartbeat pounded in my ear. A metallic tang filled my mouth and I knew I'd bitten my tongue. I tried to focus my thoughts and tell him what was wrong but I could feel the black edges around my sight expanding until there was nothing . . .

 

*******

 

//He used the Force to pinch a blood vessel within her brain. Had he continued to apply pressure, she'd have bled to death internally and none of your healers would have known why she died.//

 

//So, it was a warning. Not an attempt to kill her outright?//

 

I finally figured out that I was tucked into my own bed with Obi-Wan on one side and Panaka on the other. Odd. Normally, no man was allowed in my bedroom. This was probably setting all the tongues to wagging. At least from what I could feel, I was still fully clothed.

 

//More along the lines of seeing what our relationship is. Would I heal her in time? How good are my healing abilities?// Obi-Wan's mind voice was grim.

 

//An experiment?// Panaka could have frozen the pond behind the palace with the ice in his outraged thought.

 

//Essentially . . . yes.// 

 

//I really hate it when people talk about me as if I'm not there.// I decided to jump into this interesting conversation and opened my eyes.

 

They were squared off over my green Cyrene silk comforter, glaring at each other. Men!

 

"Dala! How are you feeling?" Pan leaned just a little closer, his hand reaching for mine before he pulled it back and clasped it behind him.

 

Obi-Wan didn't bother to ask, he just leaned over and touched my forehead, nodding at what he found there. "You are better?"

 

"Yes, I'm fine." I struggled to sit up, feeling oddly limp. Pan's arm was there even before the young Jedi could offer. Obi-Wan stuffed some pillows behind me and looked a little worried.

 

"We need to talk about these headaches, Your Highness. I've been told by Padme that your mother the late Queen suffered for some years before her death. Was she ever seen by a Jedi healer?" Obi-Wan's eyes rolled slightly towards the door to my room where my handmaidens clustered. 

 

Well, I can take a hint as well as the next person. For some reason, they didn't want to voice their concerns aloud. "No, she never did. We're out here on the outskirts of the galaxy, Obi-Wan. I don't think we ever had a Jedi here before. Do you think this is something I inherited from my mother?"

 

He smiled at me and winked the eye hidden from the doorway. "It's possible. I have a diagnostic unit at the island. When you're feeling better, perhaps you and General Panaka could come out for some tests?"

 

"After the ceremony, Your Highness? Do you feel up to continuing this afternoon?" Pan was angry and worried but not showing it except in his eyes.

 

"Good heavens, we can't cancel now." I forced myself to sit up straight. "That would gravely insult Boss Nass. Besides push back our talks with the Chancellor. They are both too important to Naboo and our future. But perhaps I could forego come of my customary trappings since they seem to aggravate the headache."

 

//Dala, remember the feeling of the pain.// Qui-Gon's thought slid gently into my mind. //You may need it later to confuse him.//

 

//Understood. If I replay it, will I feel it again?// I hated the slightly panicky tone to my thought but the pain really had been agonizing.

 

//No need, Dala. I will enhance the feelings for projection purposes. He will not be able to tell the difference and that is the goal we seek.//

 

I came back to the conversation between Pan and my handmaidens while Obi-Wan read my pulse from my wrist. Another wink and I knew he'd 'overheard' my conversation with Qui-Gon. I sat up straight and frowned at him. "I am fine, Jedi Kenobi. Thank you for coming so quickly. But now, I need to change clothes so I will ask you and General Panaka to leave us."

 

"Of course, Your Highness." He bowed and tucked his hands into his voluminous sleeves. Passing my handmaidens, he bowed his head to them and like a row of red birds, they curtsied back.

 

General Panaka sent me a worried look but also bowed and left us alone. As soon as the door closed behind them, the girls erupted into giggles. I rolled my eyes at their silliness and threw back the covers to get up.

 

"I think I'll go with the soft white dress to symbolize the peace that the Gungans helped us achieve." I had to hold on to the bed post for a moment to dispel the dizziness. Rabe crossed to my side and unobtrusively gave me some support to my dressing table.

 

"Then, you'll want something more simple for your hairdo." She decided for me and I just nodded while the others began to lay out the silken garments that went underneath my white Cyrene silk dress. Eirtae held up two different capes and without hesitation, I chose the pale pink and ivory petaled one.

 

Smiling to myself at the memory of the lovely pink water lilies, which had modeled for those particular flowers, I painstakingly made up my face with a minimum of cosmetics. No dead white face paint today. The Gungans favored plain speaking and no masks so I would honor them with my own face and only the scar of remembrance on my lower lip. Oh, and the beauty marks on each side symbolizing balance in the realm.

 

Rabe draped the royal diadem on my forehead and fastened it securely under my hair. Looking at her handiwork, I smiled my thanks at the five petaled look she'd achieved. Just like the five lobed lilies on the parade cape. Sometimes I think she can read my mind.

 

All too soon, we were dressed in white with my handmaidens cowled in soft gray to preserve their anonymity. General Panaka was waiting at my door when the time for the parade drew near. He provided our escort down to the Great Plaza where we met up with Chancellor Palpatine and his retinue.

 

I allowed a faint tremor of pain to surge forth to the front of my mind just before we came up to the stately looking politician. All else fell away while I concentrated on maintaining a regal facade for the distinguished man in black and silver.

 

"I hope you are well, Your Highness?" He asked politely while we arranged ourselves at the top of the steep steps.

 

"Yes, thank you, Chancellor Palpatine." I looked up at him and fluttered my eyelashes as I'd seen several of the handmaidens do when talking with some of the guards. "I hope your dinner was all right?"

 

He preened and patted my shoulder. "Of course, my dear. I had a very nice chat with Governor Bibble and Councilor Bahrens. If you would accept some advice from an old hand at the politics of the Senate?"

 

"Of course, Chancellor Palpatine." I tried out that little breathy sigh that Eirtae used to such good effect on one of the starfighter pilots. Well, that and the wide-eyed hopeful look with which Mother had always had such luck.

 

"Governor Bibble has much more experience with dealing with all kinds of people. He may be the better choice for your representative to the Senate now that I must assume my new duties." He looked down judiciously.

 

"Really? You don't think he's too . . . too provincial for Coruscant? I know that I was quite overwhelmed by all the people and buildings and . . . everything." I finished on a not entirely assumed note of chagrin. Confusing and frightening was what I really had in mind.

 

He patted my shoulder again and smiled paternally. "It can be quite confusing at first, Your Highness. But you handled yourself beautifully during your presentation to the Senate. And Bibble can come and ask my advice at any time. I will always carry Naboo's best interests in my heart."

 

"Thank you." I bit the inside of my mouth to keep from grimacing and hoped he'd think it was an excess of gratitude instead. Deep inside my mind, I felt a gentle touch that soothed away the distaste and left me feeling calm just as the Gungans appeared at the gateway to the Plaza.

 

The next two hours were spent in speeches and all the rituals of peacemaking that Pan and I had been able to come up with to smooth the way for a real and lasting peace between our two peoples. It would take work on both our parts but I was already fond of Boss Nass and his councilors. And they seemed ready to deal with the ground dwellers, as they liked to call us.

 

The banquet would be an interesting combination of both our cuisines and I was really looking forward to it. But it wasn't until fashionably later so I sent Panaka off to watch the next round of talks while I told my council that I was going to rest. Several of them had heard of my collapse earlier and they just nodded in agreement. I knew I could trust Panaka and Bahrens to watch out for us and I had an itch in my mind that needed scratching.

 

Shmi was waiting near the lower level door to the gardens after I ran up and changed into something much more casual and fell in beside me for our journey to the island. She was still unsure of herself in this strange new world she found herself in but above all else, she was a survivor. Getting her freedom was wonderful but getting her son back was everything.

 

We walked companionably through the fragrant gardens and I named the flowers that we passed. Her eyes took it all in with wide eyed amazement. I remembered the muted tan colors of Tattoine and the complete absence of anything green with a shudder. Never could I live in such a place without part of my soul dying a little each day.

 

She dropped back a pace behind me when we approached the bridge guards, just as my handmaidens would, sticking her hands into her voluminous sleeves. We crossed the wooden planks in silence, remembering how sound carries over water. My steps hastened up the well worn path through the towering trees. Shmi caught up with me and sighed.

 

"Nervous?" I asked quietly.

 

"A little." She glanced at me with her dark soft eyes, crinkling up in good humor. "I'm not sure how to greet a dead man."

 

I chuckled and decided we'd been right to let her in on the secret. We needed someone that we could trust to bring food back and forth, clean the cottage and to be Anakin's companion when it appeared he was alone while Obi-Wan was traveling. Shmi was perfect for the role. And she'd listened to the news with the same stoic reserve that she had shown at Anakin's freedom.

 

We traversed the ninety-degree bend in the path and found the three of them sitting in a wide spread triangle on the grass. I paused and drank in the sight of a half naked Qui-Gon floating cross-legged with his hands on his out flung knees about three feet off the ground. His eyes were closed, the mane of brown and gray hair cascaded over his broad shoulders and the sunlight glinted off the sparse hair that dusted his bare chest all the way down to the waistband of his white leggings.

 

"Oh my!" Shmi said a bit breathlessly and I had to agree. Finally, I knew what the term 'sun-kissed' really meant.

 

The sunlight seemed attracted to his own golden aura, highlighting a muscle here, a thin white scar there. His skin glowed with life and I had the insane urge to run my hands all over that golden flesh. Blushing, I looked away and tried to control my runaway pulse. My gaze met Shmi's and the look in her eyes told me that I wasn't the only one with this reaction.

 

Suddenly it was too funny for words and I started giggling, which started her off, until we were both laughing so hard that we had to hold each other up. When we finally got control of ourselves and turned back to the Jedi, they were all standing and looking at us quizzically. Obi-Wan's upraised eyebrow almost set me off again but I got a firm grip on my sense of humor and bit my tongue.

 

"Mama, what was so funny?" Anakin approached us as if unsure of what we'd do next.

 

"I'm just happy to see Master Qui-Gon alive and looking so . . . so well." She bent down and hugged him, her voice trembling for just a moment and I had to think of something ugly quickly. 

 

Governor Bibble naked. Yech!

 

I think Obi-Wan suspected something because he was helping his master on with a white linen tunic and making sure it was fully closed. It did help. A bit. Somehow, I knew that I would be replaying that picture in my day dreams for a while. Lucky, lucky Obi-Wan.

 

Anakin led us both over to his masters and Shmi took the elder Jedi's hands in her work worn grasp. "Thank you, Master Qui-Gon, for helping my son achieve his dream."

 

"He has . . . a destiny we have yet . . . to fully understand." He spoke haltingly, his vocal cords still not fully functioning from their death paralysis. He looked over at me with a rather pleading look and I nodded, touching Shmi's shoulder to get her attention.

 

"Shmi, would you mind if Master Qui-Gon spoke directly to your mind? He won't read it, just send the words right to you." I caught her eyes and watched hers widen before she nodded hesitantly.

 

//Thank you, Shmi. My voice is coming back slowly. Do you have questions for me or for Obi-Wan?// He broadcast the thought so we all heard it.

 

I don't think her eyes could have gotten any wider but she simply blinked once and took a moment to think. "There are so many questions that we'd be here all day but for now, I think we'd better concentrate on why the Queen is having these headaches."

 

//Shields. And what it will take to maintain them so the Dark Side can not penetrate your minds.// Qui-Gon raised one finger than another. //And to make it more difficult, you all four need shields that are invisible to the Dark Side.//

 

"Is that possible?" Obi-Wan said somberly.

 

"I'll bet Master Qui-Gon can." Anakin said with a sturdy nod of his close shorn head, the new braid still just a stub.

 

The tall man laughed silently, his blue eyes crinkling in the sun. //I might have one or two ideas. But for now, I could use a nice cup of tea and some of those biscuits that Dala's kitchen made for us.//

 

So we moved inside to the round table and the mismatched chairs while Obi-Wan showed Shmi where everything in the small cooking area was and Anakin chattered to me about his latest lesson in the control of the Force. Qui-Gon listened to us silently from the other side of his little apprentice.

 

The water must have been at a slow boil because in only a few moments, the tea was steeping in the big brown earthenware teapot and we each had a cinnamon and sugar biscuit to dunk in the wide mouthed cups.

 

//Now, about your shields. Unlike many of my compatriots who believe the Sith are extinct, we know they are not. Yoda sent some of the ancient texts with Obi-Wan but I've not yet had a chance to go over them.// A rather wicked glance at Obi-Wan had him blushing bright red. //Nevertheless, I believe when Anakin used the Force and your energies to bring me back to life, a natural shield was created. One consisting of some parts Living Force and some parts of each of your own energy field.//

 

"So, it's a part of us and always will be?" Anakin had such a concentrated look on his face.

 

//Yes. But it will not defend against what the Chancellor did to Amidala.//

 

"He hurt you?" Ani looked at me and put his small hand over mine.

 

"He tried, Ani, but Obi-Wan fixed it and took away the pain." I reassured him the best I could with the memory of the sick ache still vivid in my mind.

 

"The headache." Shmi nodded and poured more tea. "I felt such coldness from him when we met but I thought it was just a bad reaction to all the changes in my life."

 

//If we are correct, he is the Sith Lord who sent Darth Maul to kill us. He will be looking for another apprentice so we must be alert and keep each other safe.// Qui-Gon and Shmi exchanged a long glance that told me they both knew who Palpatine would be looking at.

 

A fierce need arose in me to protect the little boy who sat so happily by my side, munching on his sweet biscuit and slurping his tea. We were not so far apart in age and my need to protect him came from the feeling of kinship. I'd always wanted a little brother and now it seems that the Force had sent me one.

 

Looking at Obi-Wan, I decided that it had decided to send me an older brother as well. Now, that I could have done without. Sighing internally, I glanced up to catch a smile from Qui-Gon that told me he knew exactly what I was thinking. //Are all brothers so officious?//

 

//Only the ones who care very deeply and are still somewhat in shock from rather abrupt changes in their lives. We could all use some quiet time to rebuild our strength.// He sent me the private thought with which I heartily agreed.

 

"First we need to be sure that the Chancellor will not pick up anything about our suspicions of him or about Qui-Gon's continued existence." I wanted to be very sure that I was not the one to let this secret out and by the looks around the table, we were in complete agreement.

 

//Luckily enough, I did some practicing with your general earlier today. It seems to be working well during the negotiations. Palpatine tried at least twice to pick up information about the fight with the Sith and each time Panaka filled in the gaps with pictures of the fight in the throne room, the smell of the returning ships, the sounds of the blasters echoing in the halls. Very nicely done.//Qui-Gon nodded in appreciation.

 

The next hour was spent in recognizing when someone was probing us until our normal shields could slide right over what we didn't want known yet still appear to be hiding nothing. After repeated intrusions, I no longer had to think about it. My energy field simply took over and filled the space with crackling sparks of static interspersed with random thoughts about the weather or my hunger or an itch that just wouldn't go away.

 

When we took a break while Anakin showed his mother about the cottage, the rest of us wandered back outside to sit in the shade of the leafy green kolla trees. Qui-Gon and I shared the wooden bench while Obi-Wan stretched and moved restlessly beside us. I really hadn't taken the time to appreciate the lithe body that flowed so gracefully through a series of intricate movements which were obviously part of a ritualized . . . //dance?//

 

//Kata. It is a limbering up exercise that is taught to all trainees. Anakin is not yet in control of his body so he won't be learning this one for a while.// Qui-Gon's eyes followed each move with the eyes of a teacher. And of a lover.

 

Hiding a smile, I realized it was as much a mating ritual as it was an exercise for these two. I really needed to get Palpatine off Naboo and send these two off on a honeymoon. Someplace quiet and secluded where they could be as uninhibited and noisy as they wished.

 

//Very perceptive, Dala. But we need to be very sure that Anakin is safe and protected. The Sith Lord may have only had one apprentice but he has minions everywhere, I'm quite sure.//

 

I shuddered at the thought of that cold old man darkening the bright light which glowed in Anakin's eyes. //Perhaps the two of you could stay here while I take Ani and Shmi with me on the tour of the southern continent. The cooks could still try and tempt poor, grieving Obi-Wan's appetite. And I'd leave the guard on the bridge to keep any unwanted visitors out.//

 

Obi-Wan must have been eavesdropping because he suddenly joined in the plan making. Coming to rest on one knee before his former master, he looked up appealingly. "Could we, Qui-Gon? Take just a little time for us before we start Ani's training in earnest?"

 

"Imp." The graveled tones did something severely shocking to my insides and by the looks of the shiver that passed over Obi-Wan's flushed skin, he was just as affected. They were speaking to each other, I could tell by the expressions that flew over Obi-Wan's expressive face.

 

//Very well, Dala. We shall take you up on your kind offer.// He looked at me serenely but with a twinkle in those blue eyes that made me want to giggle. //Thank you.//

 

Taking a chance, I leaned up and kissed his cheek. "You are very welcome, Qui-Gon. Someday, I hope that we won't have to sneak around anymore and you and Obi-Wan will be able to walk freely among the stars together."

 

He touched my shoulder gently. //Someday, Dala. Someday.//

 

That touch and the look in his and Obi-Wan's eyes carried me through the banquet that evening, the talks the next day and Chancellor Palpatine's departure the day after that. He'd offered to take my council and I with him, joking about all the shopping I didn't get to do on my last visit.

 

Filling my mind with excited thoughts of Cyrene silk fabrics in a myriad of colors, floating chersilk veils and bright jewels for trim, I brought myself back to a sense of duty and the memory of those less fortunate than myself. Fluttering my eyelashes at him again, I spoke of the traveling needed to bring comfort to those cities devastated by the Federation.

 

He patted my hand and wished me luck before leaving with all the pomp and ceremony we could muster up for a farewell. Obi-Wan was there like a rock at my side, someone I could lean on when I faltered. At least three times that I was aware of, a cold touch created static in my mind. But after some of the detailed discussions when my brain threatened to shut down due to overload of minutia, I could no longer be certain if three times were all.

 

Watching the cruiser depart, all I could feel was relief and a strong desire to get on with what we needed to do next. Panaka stood at my left and Obi-Wan at my right with little Anakin to his right, suddenly, I realized that I was a very lucky woman. Even with all the heartache and stress of the last few months, I felt vividly alive. 

 

And capable of taking on the galaxy. Especially with these allies to help. Hiding a grin, I turned to go back inside and plan our trip. Someone was depending on me for a honeymoon and I was determined that nothing would stand in their way.

 

Not even the Sith.

 

*************************


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lessons in love. Obi-Wan POV

Part six  
***********************

I slumped just a little and walked past the Gungan guards with a sad attempt at a smile. They patted my shoulder in concern and let me pass over the bridge towards my new home. I kept the thought of Qui-Gon's loss in the forefront of my mind so any stray thoughts would be sad ones. The last two days had been spent at the Palace with the Queen and Anakin, so I was missing him for real.

 

Shmi had stocked the cottage and prepared Qui-Gon's meals for him but she'd returned this afternoon so she'd be ready to leave with the others. The meetings were ended for now. The royal entourage had packed up and was on its way for a tour of the towns worst hit by the invaders. Ric Olie was piloting them while Panaka and his squad went along for protection.

 

Anakin had been so excited about the trip, he'd practically levitated the last few feet into the cruiser. I had admonished him gently then accepted a strangling hold for a goodbye hug. Ani had promised me he'd take good care of Dala and his mother while the young Queen stood by. They'd played out their parts for anyone watching. I'd allowed myself a sigh and a tired smile before waving goodbye to them all and leaving the docking bay to walk through the gathering storm back to our refuge.

 

Inside, I'd been bubbling over with an almost incandescent joy that I was afraid would leak out into the air around me. I didn't have to talk to Qui-Gon mentally when I could feel him as a constant presence in the Force. But after two days without touching him, I craved a physical reminder of my lover. A hug or a kiss would do quite nicely, I decided.

 

A naked hug would be even better. 

 

A three day kiss would be just about right. 

 

Thunder grumbled in the distance and I eyed the lowering clouds with a measuring eye. Another hour or so would see the storm directly overhead. Now that no one could see me, I allowed myself a quicker pace to the cottage that spelled home. No, it wasn't the cottage but the man inside who was the center of my universe.

 

Flinging open the door and hastening within, I froze two steps inside the front room. Qui-Gon was in the cooking area, half-naked with his hair loose about the broad tanned shoulders, bent over something. I took a deep breath and spoke evenly. "Put down the spoon and step away from the cooker and nobody will get hurt."

 

My golden master looked over his shoulder with a teasing look. "Shmi made it."

 

My heart leapt at the almost normal sound of his voice. Taking off my outer robe, I tossed it onto the hook by the door without a backward look. I couldn't quite help the note of suspicion in my voice. "Then why are you stirring it?"

 

"She made me promise to stir it every hour until you arrived." Qui-Gon smiled at my grimace. "She made the fresh bread as well as setting the table so you wouldn't have to. We must think of something nice to give her as a thank you."

 

"You swear you didn't put anything into it except the spoon?" I dropped my utility belt on the bench by the table and crossed to my master's side, sliding an arm around his trim waist and taking a deep sniff of the aromatic dish.

 

"I'm shocked at your lack of faith, beloved." Qui-Gon leaned over and brushed a kiss across my cheek.

 

I reached up and pulled him into the kiss I'd been dreaming of for two days. I could taste the stew, some herbs I didn't know and the unique flavor of my lover. Savoring the heated depths, I entwined my tongue with Qui-Gon's. I'd become so addicted to the sweetness I wanted to stay like this forever.

 

But my stomach had other ideas, growling in the silence. Pulling away, I grinned. "It's not lack of faith. It's the memory of the last two   
hundred times you cooked something."

 

Qui-Gon just laughed out loud and pointed to the table. I took the hint and brought the bowls to the cooker so he could ladle out the savory potage. The meal was delicious and leisurely, not something we were used to. I realized that for the first time in a very long time, we had nowhere we had to be, nothing to study and nobody expecting us.

 

//It's called a vacation, Obi-Wan. Something we have needed for some time.// The caressing thought brought a smile to my face.

 

I grinned and kept eating. //I believe Dala referred to it as a honeymoon.//

 

//Ah, yes. Perhaps we should study up on what happens in a honeymoon?// Qui-Gon's face was a study in innocence but hints of passion colored the thought.

 

//I'm sure we'll be able to think of something.// I smiled sweetly and licked my spoon suggestively.

 

Qui-Gon smiled gently and licked his fingers. I felt a slow burn start in my stomach and flow outward in waves to the tips of my fingers and toes. Reaching for the bowl of honey, I drizzled just a little on my buttered roll, catching a drip with my index finger and making a little show of licking it clean.

 

My lover took a drink of cool spring water but his eyes never left mine, heating the air between us with his gaze. We continued eating in silence, our growing need pulsing in the increasingly noisy atmosphere. The thunder had gone from a distant rumble to loud claps that resonated in the air long after the initial boom was gone.

 

The room darkened to an eerie green half-light that cast odd shadows in the corners. Qui-Gon’s smile told me that my mentor still remembered my earlier fear of storms and I ducked my head a bit to try and hide my blush.

 

//The only way to lose a fear is to face it, beloved. Will you come outside with me, now?// 

 

The gentle mind touch calmed the brief surge of fear and I stretched out my hand to return the touch on both levels. //If we’re together, I can face anything.//

 

Qui-Gon laughed soundlessly and stood, pulling me up at the same time. //Then, let’s go play in the rain.// The blue eyes gleamed at me. //Naked.//

 

I laughed out loud and hurriedly stripped while watching my master gracefully shed the light pants he’d been wearing. Hand in hand, we left the cottage and stood in the small clearing, watching the trees sway and bend in the gusty wind. The glimmering shield that protected the island had been designed to ignore the natural elements so the first drops of rain splashed on our upturned faces.

 

It felt . . . cleansing, I decided. Washing away the pain and fear of the last few weeks. Unbidden, the memories of Qui-Gon’s death filled my mind with terrible dark pictures of despair. I thought I’d banished them but they kept returning, no matter how many I released into the Force. Warm hands broke the chain of thoughts, hands that cradled my head and forced me to look up into bright eyes.

 

//I am here, beloved. Not dead. Not a Force ghost. Right here. Right now.// The words were loving but also a reminder of past lessons. //Live in the moment, Padawan. This moment.//

 

I sighed my love into the mouth that gently took mine. //I love you, Qui-Gon Jinn.//

 

//I love you well, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Force willing, I will always be there for you.// His lips scattered little kisses over my rain wet face. //But even if I can’t physically be with you at some point in our lives, I will still be loving you however I am able.//

 

Dark blue eyes looked down into mine and I saw that the golden glow that surrounded my master now extended around me too. My hands and arms were luminous even without the bright lightning flashes that came ever more quickly as the storm moved directly over us. 

 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about the glow.” I started to question him but the twinkle in my lover’s eyes stopped me. “What?”

 

“What glow?” Qui-Gon asked him innocently, but the look of mischief in his eyes made me smile.

 

“The golden aura that has surrounded you since the chapel. Yoda kept muttering something about shields and the living Force. He wasn’t making much sense when he waved good bye to me on Coruscant.” I shook my head and watched the water drops whip into the night air. At some point in the last few moments, the sprinkling had turned into a shower.

 

“Perhaps I can show you rather than try to explain the phenomenon. It is rather simple really.” Qui-Gon tilted his head back and I watched in awe while the rain sleeked his hair into a cascade of darkened silk. All colors were leached out to shades of gray in the shadows of the rain soaked glade. Except for the glow.

 

Qui-Gon’s hands pulled me closer, then closer yet. Our bodies met and matched along every point, warmth blossoming wherever our skin made contact. The chilling rain had no chance against the heat we generated between us. I slid my hands up and down the broad muscular back of my lover, luxuriating in the solid feel of living skin.

 

We held each other tenderly and I arched into the caresses that Qui-Gon pressed onto my flesh. I’d never known so many nerve endings along my spine led directly to my groin. I was tingling from my toes all the way up to the ends of my hair. Opening my eyes, I watched as the very air around us took on a golden glow as well. The center of the glade now shown with a gilded splendor that seemed to be coming from us.

 

//Hush, beloved. Feel the Force flowing through us. Center yourself and then let go.//

 

I nodded and found my still center. Opening my senses as I’d done a thousand times before, I absorbed the different feel of the Force in the here and now. The drops of liquid sliding over my skin. The flashes of bright light zig-zagging across the sky. The smell of damp earth surrounding us. The crack of thunder resounding above. The taste of Qui-Gon’s skin skittering over my tongue. 

 

But mostly it was the feel of Qui-Gon filling our bond with his love. I reveled in the emotions and sent my own arcing back through our link. So many different kinds of love we had felt over the years, from platonic to carnal. But this time, I could feel something different. Something vast seeped into me with a slow pulsating rhythm like the beat of a giant heartbeat.

 

Eyes widening, I gazed at Qui-Gon in awe. My lover’s heartbeat was also the pulse of the Force. //You are one with the Force. But you’re not dead.//

 

//I died and returned to the Force from which we all come. But Anakin was right. It was not my time. The Universe needed me here and your love enabled me to resettle into this form. However, my body was remade with the energy of the Force.//

 

I wasn’t too sure what I was feeling. Confused. Stunned. Unsure. And so very, very young. How could I make love to an avatar of the Force? Because that was what Qui-Gon had just described. An avatar of the Spirit. Why would that avatar want to make love to me? I was just . . . ordinary. Not special in any way at all.

 

//Hush, beloved. You are everything I ever dreamed of having. Bright, inquisitive, daring and so very loving. Your heart is larger than the universe and I am humbled that you love me.// Qui-Gon cradled my head with both hands, his thumbs brushing the tears from my cheeks.

 

I couldn’t find the words to express that love so I simply relaxed and let it all flow across our bond to the man in my arms. It fed on our emotions, increasing exponentially until love shone from us like a beacon of pure golden light. With my mind’s eye, I could see us becoming part of the light that filled the universe.

 

Lips met, creating a firestorm of need.

 

Hands stroked quivering flesh.

 

Thoughts enflamed desires to a new level of excitement.

 

Arousal peaked. 

 

And in that instant, Qui-Gon called to the lightning and the power of the storm flashed down to enmesh us with its power. Energy flooded through us, sending electrical pulses through all our nerve endings. I arched into the solid body that held me and felt us merge at the cellular level. 

 

****************** 

I awoke slowly, listening to the heartbeat beneath my ear. My mind remembered the flash of pure light but nothing after that. I was warm and dry now so Qui-Gon must have gotten us indoors. Why weren’t we dead? We’d been struck by lightning. 

 

//Oh good, you’re awake.// Qui-Gon’s voice rumbled in my mind and I raised my head to look at the man who held me.

 

He looked the same. Crinkles around his eyes, broken nose, prickly mustache and firm lips. //What happened?//

 

//Besides being hit by lightning?// He teased me gently, his lips quirking up into his same old know-it-all smile.

 

I stuck my tongue out at him while I thought back to the feelings leading up to the strike. Merging. We’d merged somehow. If I concentrated hard enough I could feel his body as if it were my own. His stomach was empty and his left foot was cold. Meeting his eyes again, I hesitated to ask my question.

 

He just smiled. //The Force has made sure that we are bonded at all levels. I always worried that my age would tie you to a doddering old fool while you were in your prime. You deserve better than that.//

 

I interrupted him fiercely. //You have been foolish, my master but you have never been nor will you ever be doddering.//

 

//Beloved.// Qui-Gon stroked my cheek. //We were both afraid to fail the other. The Force has taken care of that problem for us. Together, we are stronger than we are apart. You are now one with the Force as well. Reach out to it.//

 

I frowned and opened my mind’s eye to the currents of the Force but I couldn’t see them. Rolling off of my lover, I spied my hair brush on the counter and called it to me. It flew across the room and smacked into my hand as if it had wires attached. Using my mind only, I willed the blankets covering us to rise then fall back. Qui-Gon was right, the Force was now a part of my very being which is why I could no longer see it separate from myself.

 

//It will take some getting used to, Obi-Wan. I had quite awhile to rest and test my boundaries.//

 

//Are there boundaries?// I asked tentatively.

 

He shrugged and the covers fell off his shoulder. //I haven’t found any yet.//

 

//Oh.// I sank back down and tried to wrap my mind around the concept that I was now some kind of . . . I didn’t know what I was anymore.

 

//You are Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jedi Knight. Beloved of Qui-Gon Jinn. Big brother to Queen Amidala. Master to Padawan Anakin Skywalker. Friend to countless beings on a hundred planets. You are still yourself, that hasn’t changed. The Force has simply taken you for its own. In one way or another, we are all avatars of the Force. You just know about it now.// Qui-Gon leaned up on one elbow and gazed down on me. //It is a gift and a responsibility wrapped up in one. More lessons, I’m afraid.//

 

I tried to keep back my laugh. I really did but it burst out of me like a geyser in full spate. The Universe was playing a joke on itself by co-opting me as its representative. Qui-Gon just smiled while my laughter ran its course. //The Force knows what its doing, beloved. It’s up to us to try and understand its will then do it.//

 

//I’ll try, Master. But it seems very bizarre to me.// I shook my head and ran my hand over his where it lay on my chest. //I can understand why it would choose you. And I’m so grateful it did.//

 

He leaned down and kissed me gently, our lips parting almost instantly to deepen the kiss. //It would not have succeeded if your love had not been so strong, Obi-Wan. That is your gift to the universe. And to me. I am the luckiest man alive because of you.//

 

I moaned into the kiss, feeling it tingle all the way down to my toes. His words and the conviction behind them settled deep into my soul and soothed the wounds his death had wrought. I was needed not just for my skills but for who I was. It might take a little time to come to grips with this amazing turn of events but I’d always been a good student and I’d be able to learn this as well. Qui-Gon agreed with me and broke off the kiss.

 

“Indeed you will, beloved. And since you threatened me with mayhem if I cooked anything, perhaps you’d be willing to make us breakfast?” Qui-Gon gave me a sorrowful look at the same time his stomach grumbled.

 

Then we were both laughing and getting out of bed, ready for anything the new day might throw at us.

 

*************************


End file.
